Story Time Starter: Welcoming New Siblings

Recently, I received a review copy of Rosemary Wells's brand-new Max & Ruby picture book, Max & Ruby and Twin Trouble. It immediately inspired me to think about the possibility of a story time about welcoming a new baby (or more!) into the family. I only have story time twice a month this fall with a couple of my mom friends, so it might be a while before I get to the babies theme, but I wanted to highlight this book leading up to its publication on October 1, so I decided to put together some story time ideas now that I'll be able to use later on. These suggestions are for a family story time, and the books are geared toward ages 2-5.

Miss Katie's Recommended Books 

• Max & Ruby and Twin Trouble by Rosemary Wells
  Though this book is primarily about the surprise of welcoming twins into a family with older siblings, it also provides a really warm and positive outlook on the experience of welcoming a baby. Not only does it portray the reality of life with a baby - the crying, the feeding, the diapers, etc. - but it also shows how bigger kids can be just as nurturing to new babies as their parents are, thus highlighting the importance of big brothers and sisters, even for newborns. 
• What Shall We Do with the Boo-Hoo Baby? by Cressida Cowell
  In this sweet story, a group of animals tries to help a fussy baby calm down by offering her toys, food, and a bath. They finally get her to take a nap, only to fall asleep themselves, just before she wakes up again. Though this book isn't about siblings per se, it does use a fun approach to help young kids understand what little babies need and how they might behave.
• One Special Day: A Story for Big Brothers and Sisters by Lola M. Schaefer
  This gentle reflection on the special role of older siblings is a great book for building up the confidence of big brothers and sisters and helping them to see the value in their own interactions with a new baby. The especially nice thing about this book is that it emphasizes the closeness of siblings rather than potential rivalry or jealousy.
• We Just Had a Baby by Stephen Krensky
  In this well-written and appealingly illustrated picture book, a young boy describes in simple terms what life is like with a newborn in the house.  Told in a toddler-friendly way, this book uses gentle humor to highlight the joy of a new sibling without dwelling much at all on any potential negative feelings. 

Other Possible Books

• Baby Dear by Esther Wilkin and Eloise Wilkin
• Julius the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes 
• Ready, Set . . . Baby! by Elizabeth Rusch
• There's Going to be a Baby by John Burningham and Helen Oxenbury

Songs & Rhymes

• Rock-a-Bye Baby (Animals)
  This flannel board puts a twist on the traditional song by placing animals in the cradle one by one.
• One Little Baby
  A fingerplay that counts babies and acts out their movements in different scenarios.
• This Little Baby
  I wrote this original rhyme for use on the flannel board, but it can also be done as a simple action rhyme.
• Here is a Ball for Baby
  This action rhyme has lots of different motions, so it's great for preschoolers. 
• Head and Shoulders, Baby
  This song isn't about babies per se, but it still matches the theme pretty well and provides a great opportunity to get the wiggles out mid-story time.

Story Time Starter: Owls

Owls make a great Fall theme. Here are my favorite owl books, songs, and rhymes for use at story time.

 

Miss Katie's Recommended Books

• Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
  Sarah, Percy, and Bill, three owl babies, deal with anxieties while they wait for their mother to return with food. This is one my favorite picture books to read aloud. Kids love it when I make Bill's voice sound whiny and high-pitched when he says, "I want my mommy," and it's great to see all the kids' eyes grow wider and wider as the owls' worries increase. This is my go-to choice for family/all-ages story times. 
• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
  Two things make this book a story time success: the suspense of waiting for the owl to show up, and the invitation to call for the owl using hooting sounds. This book's quiet, poetic mood easily calms a room full of children, and the arrival of the owl is always met with the same awe and surprise felt by the story's main character. Though this is a winter story, it works well at any time of year, and is great for elementary students as well as a preschoolers.  
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by Jane Cabrera
  You can almost never go wrong with a picture book version of a favorite children's song. In this book, a mother owl and her baby and many other parent/child animal pairs sing to a bright star in the night sky. I reviewed this book in detail here. 

Other Possible Books

• Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel  
• Little Owl's Night by Divya Srinivasan
• A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na
• The Owl and the Pussycat illustrated by Jan Brett
• Good-night Owl by Pat Hutchins
• Goodnight Owl by Dwell Studio
• In My Tree by Sara Gillingham

Songs & Rhymes

• There's a Wide-Eyed Owl
  This rhyme is easy to learn, and even babies and toddlers like to watch their caregivers make owl eyes with their fingers. I like to pair this with Owl Moon because of the "whoo-whoo" at the end of the rhyme. 
• Five Little Owls
  Count down from five to zero on your fingers or on a flannel board with this simple rhyme about four owls on a moonlit night. (If you need clipart for a flannel board, I recommend these images from My Cute Graphics, one of which appears in the image at the top of this post.)
• Flap, Flap, Flap Little Owls (based on Flap, Flap, Flap Little Bats)
  As you sing this song, encourage the kids to pretend to be owls as they make the movements. At the end, have them all curl up and pretend to sleep. 
• Two Little Owls
  This catchy vintage tune from Burl Ives will get stuck in your head very easily, which means it is also easy for your audience to learn and sing again at home. I like to sing it with finger puppets or stick puppets. 
• Owl in the Tree
  Hoot like an owl and make other bird sounds with this song found at Mel's Desk.

Story Time Starter: Elephants

Along with monkeys, elephants are a favorite animal in my family. Here are some of our favorite books, songs, and rhymes for celebrating pachyderms.

 

Miss Katie's Recommended Books

• The Elephant and the Bad Baby by Elfrida Vipont
  An elephant takes a baby all around town, giving him treats, but the baby never once says please. The merchants who provide the treats follow them down the road, the line growing longer after each stop. This is a great cumulative tale that uses lots of repetition and silliness to keep kids engaged. It also makes a great flannel board.
• Just a Little Bit by Ann Tompert
  An elephant and a mouse have a hard time playing together on a seesaw until other animals help them balance their weights. This story provides a fun lesson about weight and gravity and delivers the message that one can make a difference, no matter how small he is. The cartoonish illustrations by Lynn Munsinger infuse the book with warmth and humor. 
• Peanut Butter and Jelly by Nadine Bernard Westcott
  This popular childhood chant about making peanut butter and jelly is retold by Westcott using elephants as the crackers of nuts and smashers of berries. Repetition and rhythm grab the kids' attention and encourage everyone to sing along. 
• Splash! by Flora McDonnell
  On a very hot day, a baby elephant knows just how to cool off all the animals - by leading them to splash in the water! This is a larger-sized book so kids can see it easily in any size story room and in any size crowd. The animals are familiar and easily recognized, and the book has lots of words and phrases that kids will want to repeat back to the reader.

 

Other Possible Books

• My Elephant by Petr Horacek
• Sitting in my Box by Dee Lillegard
• The Elephant Wish by Lou Berger
• I Broke My Trunk! by Mo Willems
• In the Forest by Marie Hall Ets
• Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young
• Elmer by David McKee
• Tweak Tweak by Eve Bunting
• Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
• The Story of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff

Songs

• One Elephant Went out to Play
  This counting song, where elephants continually join the fun playing in a spider web, would make a great flannel board for a smaller story time group. Each child could be given  the opportunity to add an elephant to the spider web until everyone has had a turn. For larger groups, or when props aren't available, just count up to five on your fingers. (Note: This link is from KCLS, and they add the word "little" to the lyrics where it doesn't really fit. I usually omit that word.) 
• This is the Way (Elephant Style)
  Stomp your feet, swoosh your tail, and wiggle your ears like an elephant with this action song to the tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush. 
• If You're an Elephant and You Know It
  Use If You're Happy and You Know It as a model for an elephant-themed action song. Ask the kids to suggest elephant-like motions to make and do them together as a group.

Rhymes

• I Asked My Mother for Fifty Cents
  This rhyme is excerpted from the handclapping classic, Miss Mary Mack. Toddlers especially love to reach up as high as they can. I usually use an elephant puppet just to have a visual to accompany the words. 
• The Elephant Goes Like This and That
  This short rhyme is easy to memorize and fun to act out, and it has a great punchline.  It also serves as a fun way to reinforce the names of body parts and to get kids out of their seats and moving around. 
• Elephants in the Bathtub
  More and more elephants are swimming in the bathtub - until they all fall in! This rhyme is best done on the flannel board, with the kids doing the motions along with the rhyme.
• Up the Hill
  An elephant is only one of the animals who climbs up the hill in this rhyme, but you could easily put him first or last in the lineup to emphasize the theme. This is another one that works well on the flannel board - it almost requires a visual component to be successful.

Story Time Starter: Monkeys

Little Miss Muffet loves monkeys, so we read a lot of monkey books at our house. Bring a little monkey business into your own lives with these recommended monkey books, songs, and rhymes for story time.

 

Miss Katie's Recommended Books 

• Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett
  A little girl and her monkey act like the different animals they go to see. Even if you don't have the book on hand, you can tell this story using flannel board pieces or simple movements for the kids to imitate. For an interactive experience, ask the kids to call out animals for "monkey and me" to visit.
• Where's My Mom? by Julia Donaldson
  A monkey can't seem to find his mom, and the butterfly trying to help him has trouble following the clues that will eventually lead the monkey home. This book is laugh-out-loud funny for adults and kids, and though it's a bit long, it tends to keep the audience interested right up to the end.
• Monkey See, Look At Me by Lorena Siminovich
  A monkey fancies himself to be an elephant, rabbit, bird, etc. simply because he can do their movements, but each time, his animal friends set him straight and remind him what a silly monkey he is. This is a bright and colorful book with a repetitive structure and a perfect preschool sense of humor. 

 

Other Possible Books 

• Monkey Do! by Allan Ahlberg
• Ten Naughty Little Monkeys by Suzanne Williams
• Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
• Two Little Monkeys by Mem Fox
• Curious George by H.A. Rey
• Monkey Colors by Darrin Lunde

Rhymes

• Monkeys on the Bed
  When monkeys jump on the bed, they bump their heads and the doctor must be called. This can also be sung to several different tunes.
• Five Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree
  When they're not jumping on the bed, the pesky monkeys are teasing Mr. Alligator - until he goes snap! and gobbles them up. Recommended for preschool and kindergarten.
• Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat
  In this version of the classic nursery rhyme, the pussy cat goes to the zoo where she meets a monkey.
• Monkey, Monkey
  In this action rhyme, monkey turns around, dances on his toes, and more until finally it's time for  a nap.

 

Songs 

• I'm a Little Monkey
  This song is best sung with two monkey hand or stick puppets. In a pinch, hands can also double as monkeys.
• Say Hello to the Animals
  Start with the monkey verse, then sing hello to other animals who live in the zoo or jungle.
• Underneath the Monkey Tree
  Play monkey see, monkey do with this song, where kids follow your lead and do silly monkey movements. For added fun, pretend your parachute is a monkey tree and have the kids run underneath to act out their motions.
• What Can a Monkey See from a Tree?
  In this song, name things and creatures that monkeys can see from the treetops. 

Story Time Starter: Squirrels

 

One of my most popular blog posts is my Flannel Friday contribution from 2011 about squirrels. Today, I've expanded upon the ideas in that post to provide a full outline of possible books and activities for a squirrel-themed story time session.

 

Miss Katie's Recommended Books 

• A Good Day by Kevin Henkes
  While the squirrel is not the central focus of the story, she is one of four main characters, and Henkes's illustration of her sad face upon losing her nut is perfect for helping kids feel empathy for her disappointment. This is a great one for introducing the squirrel theme, and also just a really positive note on which to start a story time.  
• The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
  This book's repetitive text tells the story of a squirrel who is too busy to play because he must gather food for the winter. The big, bold illustrations are exceptionally good for large story time groups, and the kids can easily engage with the book by calling out the names of the animals in the story and the sounds they make. 
• Ol' Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein
  Ol' Mama Squirrel is a force to be reckoned with as she scolds any creature  who threatens her babies with a "Chook chook chook!" This story is fun to read aloud, and funny for the listeners - and Mama Squirrel's plan for outsmarting a bear will especially please preschoolers.

 

Other Possible Books

• Earl the Squirrel  by Don Freeman
• Nuts to You! by Lois Ehlert
• The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward
• Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
• Those Darn Squirrels by Adam Rubin
• Micawber by John Lithgow

 

Songs

• Gray Squirrel
  I first learned this song when I worked in a nursery school in college. I like to sing a few verses, mentioning squirrels of different colors. It's fun to name colors of real squirrels (gray, brown, and black here in the DC area) and then throw in some silly ones and ask the kids whether squirrels can be purple, orange, blue, etc. 
• The Squirrel Up in the Tree 
  This song can be sung with stick puppets or you can make up easy motions for the kids to perform. Preschoolers especially enjoy practicing winking. 
• Frisky Squirrel
  This  song, sung to the tune of the Grand Old Duke of York helps kids learn how hard squirrels work to gather food for the winter, and gives them a chance to get their wiggles out at the same time.
  

 

Poems & Rhymes

• Down Around the Corner by the Big Oak Tree
  This is a flannel board rhyme I wrote, but which was inspired by a post at Mel's Desk. Count down from five acorns to zero as one by one squirrels carry them off.  
• Two Little Squirrels (based on Two Little Blackbirds)
  This is a modified version of the Two Little Blackbirds nursery rhyme, which I found on Storytime Katie's blog. It's easy to do with just your fingers, but would also work with finger puppets or stick puppets. 
• The Squirrel
  This anonymous poem appears in a number of children's poetry anthologies. It makes perfect use of onomatopoeia to describe precisely how a squirrel moves. Since only the title mentions that the animal is a squirrel, this can be a great opening for story time, inviting the kids to guess the day's theme. 
• Squirrel, Squirrel
  This rhyme is very similar to Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, but with a squirrel twist. No one will be able to resist shaking their squirrel tails! (This is also a nice alternative to Gray Squirrel for those who don't like to sing.)

The squirrel clipart in the pinnable image above is from AnimalClipArt.net.

Fizz, Boom, Read! Preschool Story Time Starter: Light and Electricity

Today, in my final preschool story time starter for the Fizz, Boom, READ summer reading program, I am focusing on light and electricity. This is one of the more versatile science themes I have considered - you can focus on many different aspects of the topic, depending on your collection, your audience, and the materials available to you. This theme is also a great opportunity to reuse some of the nighttime activities you may have developed for the Dream Big! Read summer reading program in 2012. (To see my other Fizz, Boom, READ story time starters, visit these links:
Five Senses, Temperature, Living vs. Non-living Things, Weather, and Sink or Float?)

Miss Katie's Recommended Books

• Night Lights by Susan Gal
  A little girl and her dog explore all the different sources of light that present themselves when it gets dark. I love this book for its illustrations as much as for its content, and it's a good way to get kids thinking about all the places they see light.
• Blackout by John Rocco
  I recommend practicing how you will read this aloud before you share it, but kids tend to love the illustrations and the story provokes lots of great questions about how things change when the lights go out. It also shows how families can regain a sense of community when they unplug for just a little while - a message many parents might appreciate even if the kids don't quite catch it.
• Dance by the Light of the Moon by Joanne Ryder
  All the farm animals get together for a dance by the light of the moon, presented by the farmer in appreciation of all they do! This one doesn't have very much to do with light, but I have always had wonderful story time experiences with the story, and it works just as well with toddlers as with kindergarteners.
• Night Light by Nicholas Blechman
  This is a counting book combined with a guessing game, so it's a perfect one for encouraging kids to interact with  you. It also deals with transportation, which is one of the most popular interests among preschoolers, so it's pretty much a guaranteed hit. This one is also a good option for groups on the older end of the preschool spectrum.

Other Possible Books

• What's Going on in There? by Geoffrey Grahn
  
• The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by Dr. Seuss
• Hooray Parade by Barbara Joosse
• The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
• The Patterson Puppies and the Midnight Monster Party by Leslie Patricelli
• Stars by Mary Lyn Ray
• The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson
• The Dark by Lemony Snicket
• This Little Light of Mine by Raffi
• When the Library Lights Go Out by Megan McDonald

Songs & Rhymes

• Song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
  Everybody knows this song, and usually they're anxious to sing along. If you have an especially musical group, they might even like to learn the lesser-known second verse.  
• Song: Mr. Sun
  This song is fun to sing and easy to learn even if the kids and their parents don't know it. I like to use a puppet, and invite the kids to give him a high-five at the end of story time.  
• Song: Stars Shine Bright (non-Christmas version)
  This song asks the kids to identify stars by color - it's always a huge hit, especially with class and camp visits.  
• Rhyme: Five Little Moths
  I wrote this rhyme for the Dream Big, Read theme and then never actually used it. It can be a fingerplay or a flannel board. 
• Rhyme: Two Little Fireflies
  This simple rhyme is a take-off on Two Little Blackbirds. It's a quick one, and very simple, but if the kids are on the younger side, it's a good one for regaining their focus after a busier activity.

Games & Activities

• Flannel Board Sorting Game: Does this need electricity?
  Depending on the age of the kids, it could be fun to share images of a variety of household objects and ask them whether they do or do not use electricity. I think this is more likely to work in a group of five-year-olds than a group of three-year-olds, but I know something like this would have been perfect for one of my preschool camps this summer.  
• Flannel Board Guessing Game: Whose shadow is this?
  Create a set of objects and their shadows. Show the kids the shadow and have them guess what it is, then reveal the true image. The set in the link above is pretty basic, and the group I used it with guessed the items fairly easily, but you can choose easier or more difficult-to-guess objects based on the kids you typically see.  
• Activity: Making Shadow Animals
  I have never tried this, but I think it would be a lot of fun to project a light on the wall and teach the kids how to make different shadow animals with their hands. Your collection may have non-fiction books on this topic, which you can promote, or you can use these instructions from Zoom at PBS Kids. 
• Discussion: What wish would you make on a star?
  Asking kids what they would wish for is one of the best story time discussion starters. When I have asked this question of four-year-olds in the past, kids have had great answers including:
  
  • "A ninja!"
  • "A big red gem, and when you open it up, it has a medium gem, and a small gem, and a large gem!"
  • "Snowflakes that turn into throwing stars!"

If you can, make a list of their answers, then have the kids help decorate the poster with star stickers to be displayed in the story room, or in another special place in your library.

Visit These Sites For More Ideas

• Steal this Storytime: Glow in the Dark
• Preschool Storytime: The Dark
• "Camping" Campout at Preschool

Fizz, Boom, Read! Preschool Story Time Starter: Sink or Float?

 

Today, I'm sharing my second-to-last preschool story time starter related to the Fizz, Boom, Read! summer reading theme. This one focuses on sinking and floating. (Previous posts can be found at these links: Five Senses, Temperature, Living vs. Non-living Things, and Weather.)
 

Miss Katie's Recommended Books

• Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen
  A series of animals climbs into a rowboat, and the reader is asked on each page to guess who might have sunk the boat. There aren't very many books about sinking, but this one is a great introduction to the concept, and  while I doubt every child in the room would get it on the first reading, the animal characters and the fact that the book addresses the kids directly would be enough to keep them interested. I think it's also fun to listen to kids' theories about who sank the boat.
• 10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle
  This book is based on a true story, and it tells what happens to ten rubber ducks when they fall off their ship and into the ocean. It's a great preschool book because Eric Carle is the illustrator, it involves counting, and it involves an animal familiar to most kids under five. I also think kids tend to know Eric Carle's books about bugs, but not many of his others, so this is a chance to give one of the lesser-known titles some attention.
• The Tub People by Pam Conrad
  Most kids first encounter the concepts of sinking and floating in the bathtub, where they have probably played with toys at some point. This book focuses on a whole family of small wooden figures who live along the edge of the bathtub. When Tub Child is sucked down the drain, his parents are sure they will never see him again, until a plumber comes to save the day. Sinking and floating don't figure heavily into the plot, but the subject matter of the story in general should get the kids talking about their own bathtime experiences that relate to this theme.

Other Possible Books

• Little Tug by Stephen Savage
• The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
• Sail Away by Donald Crews
• What Floats in a Moat? by Lynne Berry
• Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken by Kate DiCamillo
• The Toy Boat by Randall de Seve
• Duck Dunks by Lynne Berry
• Daisy Comes Home by Jan Brett
  
• Sink or Swim by Valerie Coulman
• The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen

Extension Activities

• Song: Five Little Ducks
  Kids love this song, and it's a perfect one to sing after reading 10 Little Rubber Ducks, or any duck-themed book. This is especially useful with large groups, as the quacking gets a lot of their excess energy out between books.
• Song: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
  This song is well-known, and most likely to encourage adult participation. It's also a good one to use if your preschool groups tend to skew young or include many toddler siblings.
• Flannel Board Song: Five Pirates in a Boat
  You can sing the original version of this song, Eight Rowers in a Boat, or make it a bit more preschool-friendly by turning it into a flannel board with pirates! Find a diverse array of pirates at mycutegraphics.com, and use a coloring sheet as a pattern for a boat.
  
• Song with Picture Props: Sailing Out to Sea 
  Practice number or color identification with this piggyback song I came up with based on Bumpin' Up and Down in My Little Red Wagon. I used cardboard signs, but you could also adapt this one to the flannel board.
• Song: Swimming, Swimming
  I remembered this song from Girl Scouts and looked up the lyrics again. Have the kids act out the different strokes and speed up a little bit with each verse until everyone collapses into a giggling heap.
• Experiment: Sink or Float Crayons
  This simple experiment comparing the bouyancy of crayons of two brands comes from a book published by Scholastic entitled Teaching Science with Favorite Picture Books. Though it is designed to accompany an early elementary lesson on Stone Soup, it would work just as well on its own. Specific instructions can be found in the Google Books preview below.

Visit These Sites for More Ideas

• Sink or Float? at Brilliant Beginnings Preschool
• Bobbing Along: A Float or Sink Story Time by Abby the Librarian
• Preschool Science - Sink or Float? at No Time for Flashcards
• Preschool - Sink or Float Pinterest board by Lindsay Lamping

Fizz, Boom, Read! Preschool Story Time Starter: Weather

This is my fourth story time starter inspired by the Fizz, Boom, Read! summer reading theme. Today's post is all about weather. (Previous posts focused on the five senses, temperature, and living vs. non-living things.)

Miss Katie's Recommended Books

• What Will the Weather Be? by Lynda DeWitt
  This is probably not a book to read in its entirety, but sharing parts of it will help introduce the topic and share some interesting science vocabulary.
• The Snow Globe Family by Jane O'Connor
  This is really more of a fanciful story than a true scientific exploration of weather, but kids love the idea of parallel snowstorms happening outside the house and inside a snow globe as well.
• Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema
  This book opens up a nice opportunity to talk about why we need rain, and what happens when there isn't enough. It's also fun to make the story interactive by asking the kids to repeat the refrain along with you. It's also a good one for retelling if you have some flannel board pieces on hand to assist. 

Other Possible Books

• Blue Sky by Audrey Wood
• BOOM!: Big, Big Thunder & One Small Dog by Mary Lyn Ray
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
• I Love the Rain by Margaret Park Bridges
• Rabbits and Raindrops by Jim Arnosky
• Rain by Robert Kalan
• Rainy Day! by Patricia Lakin
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• The Storm Book by Charlotte Zolotow
• When it Starts to Snow by Phillis Gershator

Songs & Rhymes

• Song: Boots by the Laurie Berkner Band
  This is one of the few songs for which I would suggest using the recording. It's a bit tricky to sing it yourself and dance around. The only exception would be if you can play it on guitar or ukulele.
• Song: I Can Sing a Rainbow
  This can be a fun sing-along. Make it interactive by passing out colored flags for the kids to wave as they sing it. I like to play this on the ukulele.
• Song: I Like to See the Raindrops Fall
  This song to the tune of Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush uses simple actions to recreate a storm. Kids of all ages love to sing this one!
• Rhyme: Snowman, Snowman (based on Book Bear, Book Bear)
  Pretend to be snowmen with this simple action rhyme that is also good for quieting wild groups between books.
• Rhyme: The Wind is Full of Tricks Today
  I have never used this rhyme myself, but the librarian from King County who performs it on their Wiki makes me want to try it! (The link above is to her video.)

Games & Activities

• Flannel Board Sorting Game: What do we wear in this weather?
  Sort articles of clothing according to the weather in which they would be appropriate to wear. Kizclub has clipart sets for clothing and weather that make useful templates. Instead of a flannel board, you could also sort the items onto a long clothesline with sections for sunny days, rainy days, snowy days, etc.
• Game: Drip, Drip, Drop
  Play this fun game based on Duck, Duck, Goose, which comes from Mailbox magazine.

Visit these Sites for More Ideas

• Weather from Harris County Public Library
• Weather posts from SLC Book Boy
• Weather - Science Storytime from the Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California
• Weather Storytimes at Never Shushed

Fizz, Boom, Read! Preschool Story Time Starter: Living or Non-living?

Today, I'm continuing my series of preschool story time starters inspired by the Fizz, Boom, Read! summer reading theme. (If you missed it, I began two weeks ago with the five senses, and last week I posted about temperature.) Today's theme is "Living or Non-Living?". Though some of the resources below specifically address the differences between things that are and are not alive, this theme can also be expanded to include topics like growing, planting, gardening, animals, and trees.
 

 Miss Katie's Recommended Books

• What’s Alive? by Kathleen Zoehfeld, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott
  Introduce the theme of story time with this beginning science book. Either read the entire book straight through, or pick and choose segments that you think will be easiest for your audience to understand.
• Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? by Susan Shea, illustrated by Tom Slaughter
  This lift-the-flap book is a great guessing game that reinforces the concept of being alive with a series of questions about whether objects can or cannot grow. Kids as old as six and seven get really into this, but even the little ones will enjoy trying to figure out whether cars grow to become trucks or shirts grow to become sweaters.
• Are You Living? by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli
  This is a singable non-fiction picture book by an excellent CYBILS award winning children's poet, all about the differences between living and non-living things. Sidebars provide additional information that can be shared as appropriate.

Other Possible Books

• Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
• Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse by Leo Lionni
• Chopsticks by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• Crinkleroot's 25 Mammals Every Child Should Know by Jim Arnosky
• Duck and Goose by Tad Hills
• The Growing Story by Ruth Krauss
• Hunwick's Egg by Mem Fox
• I Can't Said the Ant by Polly Cameron
• Mary Had a Little Lamp by Jack Lechner
• Prudence Wants a Pet by Cathleen Daly
• Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton

Songs & Rhymes

• Song: Everything Grows by Raffi
  This song would be fun to sing with musical accompaniment (guitar, ukulele, piano, etc.) and/or with the kids holding up pictures to represent each growing thing represented in the lyrics. This would also be a good one to play as background music while the kids color or work on a craft. 
• Rhyme: Five Eggs and Five Eggs
  This fingerplay is also fun to do with puppets if you have an egg and a hen.
• Song: Mr. Sun
  After discussing how the sun helps living things grow, sing this song with a puppet, or holding up your arms in a sunshine shape.
• Song: One Seed by the Laurie Berkner Band
  Watch this video for the hand motions for Laurie Berkner's song about the importance of planting trees and passing down responsibility for our Earth to future generations.

Games

• Flannel Board Sorting Game: Is this alive or not alive?
  Provide children with a series of objects and ask them to decide whether they are alive or not. Hopefully, if you have a lot of flannel board pieces already made, you'll be able to choose from what you have without having to make anything new. Otherwise, kizclub.com has a lot of great clipart of all different objects that can be printed out, laminated, and used as is, and or used as templates for actual flannel pieces. There is also a set of Living and Nonliving Picture Cards available here. Librarians who are looking to introduce more technology at story time might also try sharing this game from Thinkcans.net. 
• Act out the Animals
  Provide puppets, flannel board pieces, or just simple pieces of paper printed with the names/images of animals and have the kids act them out. You could also ask them to act out other living things, such as flowers or plants, though they might have a limited range of movements. A good book to inspire animal movements is Pretend You're a Cat by Jean Marzollo.

Visit These Sites for More Ideas

• Living & Nonliving from Adventures of a K/1 Teacher
• Living and Non-Living: A Science Mini Unit by April Larremore 
• Teaching Living or Nonliving from Lerner Books

Fizz, Boom, Read! Preschool Story Time Starter: Temperature

Last week, I kicked off a series of blog posts in which I'll be sharing story time starters for preschoolers inspired by the Fizz, Boom, READ! summer reading theme. Last week's post began with the basics - the five senses. This week, I'm moving on to the concept of temperature, with a specific focus on the differences between hot and cold.

Miss Katie's Recommended Books

• Temperature by Kay Manolis
  This basic non-fiction title explains the concepts of hot and cold using photos and basic child-directed text. Depending on the age of the preschoolers, it might be necessary to pick and choose sections of the book to read. (An alternative to this book for libraries with older/deeper collections might be Temperature and You by Betsy and Giulio Maestro, but this title is out of print and not even listed on Goodreads!)
• Hot Air (The Mostly True Story of the First Hot Air Balloon Ride) by Marjorie Priceman
  Join the animals who were lucky enough to take the first-ever hot air balloon ride in 1783. Parts of the story have been fictionalized, but it's an excellent read-aloud, and  the illustrations invite all kinds of commentary and discussion from the kids. Depending on the age of the kids, you might even get into a discussion about the inner workings of hot air balloons.
• Cold Snap by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
  In the heat of the summer, this chilly tale will be most welcome at story time! Kids will enjoy seeing the various ways the townspeople in the story keep warm, and they will get the giggles as the icicle on the nose of the statue in the heart of town gets longer and longer as the cold snap wears on. 

Other Possible Books

• Heat Wave by Eileen Spinelli
• Hot Day on Abbott Avenue by Karen English
• Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer 
• There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro 
• Cold Little Duck Duck Duck by Lisa Westberg Peters
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears (any version) 
• Winter Lullaby by Barbara Seuling
• Ten-Gallon Bart Beats the Heat by Susan Stevens Crummel
• Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
• Stanley Goes for a Drive by Craig Frazier

Rhymes and Songs

• Rhyme: Frozen is the Lake
  I wrote this simple fingerplay based on Blue is the Lake. If you repost it, please provide credit and a link to this blog. 
• Song: Hat, Coat, Pants, and Shoes
  This song is all about what keeps us warm in Winter. You can also change the words to Visor, Tee Shirt, Shorts, and Shoes for a warm-weather -focused verse. I wrote this one as well, so please credit me if you repost or print. 
• Song: Pigs in the Mud
  This song is about pigs keeping themselves cool by rolling in the mud.

Games

• Hot or Cold? Sorting Game
  Have the kids help sort objects into hot and cold categories. Kim at Destination Storytime has a great post about this type of activity, complete with a photo of the flannel board pieces she created. For those who prefer clipart, there is a great set of cards of hot and cold objects available here.
• Hot Potato
  Quickly pass around a ball, bean bag, or other object while music plays in the background. ("Hot Potato" by the Wiggles would be a fun choice.) Stop the music periodically - the child holding the "potato" when the music stops is out. This is a good game to play at the end of the story time, so that kids who are "out" can either head to their parents or transition to any coloring activity or craft you might have planned.
• Getting Warmer
  Hide an object in the story room. Ask the children to begin searching for it. Let them know when they are "colder" or "warmer" as they get closer to or further from the hiding place. (This would work best with a group of ten kids or less who are not new to story time and whose names you know.)

Visit These Blogs for More Ideas

• In the Children's Room: Theme Thursday: Baby It's Cold Outside
• Storytime Katie: Winter
• Mrs. Andre's Library: Summer Theme Story Time

Fizz, Boom, Read! Preschool Story Time Starter: Five Senses

Though I'm not working in a library this summer, that hasn't stopped me from being inspired by the Fizz, Boom, READ! summer reading theme. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing a series of story time starters for preschoolers (roughly ages 3-5) on various science themes. Today's post is about the five senses, as this is the basis for all scientific exploration. I have included my preferred titles that I would use if I were to present this story time, as well as additional books related to the theme that can be substituted for any one of my recommendations. For each theme, I'll also be sharing any relevant extension activities, including rhymes, songs, and games.

Miss Katie's Recommended Books

• My Five Senses by Aliki
  This book's simple text will make a nice introduction to the concept of the five senses for kids who aren't yet familiar with them. Encourage the kids to point to their own eyes, nose, and mouth, as the child in the pictures shows how he uses each of his parts to take in information about his world. The chart at the front of the book would also be fun to use for a discussion, if you'd rather not read through the entire book, or if your group is slightly older.
• Senses at the Seashore by Shelley Rotner
  This book demonstrates each sense using a setting that is familiar to a lot of kids in my area - the beach. The eye-catching photos and simple text will help keep the kids focused and hopefully, some of them will have personal connections to the experiences portrayed in the pictures. Depending on your community and what the kids are familiar with, you might want to switch this book out for one of Rotner's other titles: Senses on the Farm or Senses in the City.
• Rain by Manya Stojic
  This third book is an actual story in which the five senses play an integral role. A series of animals living in the African savanna anticipate a rainstorm, and make guesses about its arrival based on what they can see, smell, taste, touch, and hear.

Other Possible Books

• Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff
• The Eye Book by Theo LeSieg
• Farley Follows His Nose by Lynn Johnston
• Five for a Little One by Chris Raschka
• Listen, Buddy by Helen Lester
• Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss
• Nosy Rosie by Holly Keller
• The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon
• Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young 
• Yoko by Rosemary Wells

Songs & Rhymes

• Song: My Eyes Are Made for Seeing
  This song, sung to the tune of The Bear Went Over the Mountain, reminds us of the purpose of our eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and hands. Have the kids make suitable motions for each verse to make it truly interactive.
• Flannel Board Rhyme: The Parts of the Body
  To share this rhyme, you will need flannel board pieces representing a bird, shovel, airplane, flower, street, and eating/talking, as well as pieces for each of the body parts mentioned. (KizClub has a set of body parts that would work nicely.) Have the kids guess each body part before you put it up. It might also be fun to provide each child with a body part to be brought to the board at the correct time.
  
  

Games & Activities

• Poem: Ears Hear
  This poem is best shared with the higher end of the preschool age group. Ask the kids to make each sound you mention, and tell them not to be afraid to be loud. This poem works especially well with large or unusually rambunctious groups.
• Guessing Game: What is that Smell?
  Prepare a few brown paper lunch bags, each containing an item with a distinct smell. Without allowing the kids to look in the bags, let them smell each one and guess what it is. Suggested smelly items include: chocolate, mint, lemon, garlic, cinnamon, etc. I would avoid truly gross smells - the idea is for the kids to enjoy the experience of new smells, and preschoolers are often not yet amused by truly disgusting humor.
• Sorting Activity: Smooth or Rough? 
  Set out a tray of objects. Pass each one around and let the kids feel it. Have them tell you whether the object is smooth or rough. Suggested objects might be: sandpaper,  notebook paper, pine cone,  balloon, rocks, shells, etc. 
• Game: I Spy
  Play a traditional game of I Spy. Have one child at a time describe something he or she can see in the room and have the other kids try to guess what it is. For the sake of time, this might work best in a smaller group - it also helps if your story room isn't too bland-looking, or there won't be much to choose from! (Make this game even more fun by creating cardboard magnifying glasses for the kids to use as they look for objects.)
• Flannel Board Activity: 5 Senses from Miss Meg's Storytime
  This is a discussion-generating flannel board that encourages kids to think about how we interact with different objects using our senses. Meg provides a full set of instructions here.

Visit These Blogs for More Ideas

• Fingerplay: The Five Senses Story Time Stretch from Ryan the Librarian
• 5 Senses from Miss Sarah's Storytime
• Five Senses Storytime from Story Share
• My Five Senses Storytime from Busy Crafting Mommy